Chequered Past

On this day in Formula One history, one of the most extraordinary victories the sport has ever seen unfolded on the streets of Long Beach. In 1983, John Watson started 22nd on the grid — the lowest starting position ever for a Grand Prix winner — and produced a masterclass in patience, tyre management, and racecraft to fight his way to victory. As faster cars faltered and rivals pushed beyond thei...

On 26th March, Formula One history takes us to Interlagos — a circuit renowned for chaos, unpredictability, and races that rarely follow the script. In 1989, the Brazilian Grand Prix opened a new era for the sport, but it was far from a clean start. Changeable conditions, bold strategy calls, and relentless attrition created a race where simply reaching the finish felt like an achievement. Yet aga...

On March 25, Formula One history reveals a defining truth: the fastest driver doesn’t always win — the smartest one does. In this episode of Chequered Past , we explore how Alain Prost earned his nickname “The Professor” with two masterful victories in Brazil. In 1984, at the height of the brutal turbo era, Prost navigated heat, attrition and mechanical failure at Jacarepaguá to claim a measured,...

On 24 March, Formula One has witnessed victories shaped in very different ways — through endurance, defiance, and opportunity. In 1991, Ayrton Senna delivered one of the most iconic drives in the sport’s history, overcoming a failing gearbox and extreme physical exhaustion to finally win his home Brazilian Grand Prix. It was a triumph that pushed both driver and machine beyond their limits. In 201...

On this day in Formula One history, we explore three stories that capture the sport’s constant evolution. In 2003, the Malaysian Grand Prix signalled a shift in the competitive order. A young Fernando Alonso stunned the paddock with a breakthrough pole and podium, while Kimi Räikkönen claimed the first victory of his career — marking the arrival of a new generation ready to challenge the establish...

On 22 March, Formula One history gives us a story of dominance, emergence, and evolution across the decades. In 1992, Nigel Mansell delivered a commanding performance at the Mexican Grand Prix, mastering the demanding high-altitude conditions to secure a victory described at the time as an “almost perfect” result for his team. As Williams asserted their technical superiority, the race also marked...

On 21 March, Formula One delivered drama both on and off the track. In 1982, the Brazilian Grand Prix at Jacarepaguá appeared to give Nelson Piquet a famous home victory — only for disqualification after the race to overturn the result and hand the win to Alain Prost. It was a moment that exposed the growing tensions between teams, regulations, and the limits of technical interpretation. We also c...

On 20 March, Formula One has often revealed the shape of the season to come. In 2005, Fernando Alonso delivered a commanding victory at Sepang, confirming Renault as genuine title contenders and signalling a shift away from Ferrari’s dominance. Eleven years later, a dramatic and strategically complex Australian Grand Prix saw Nico Rosberg seize early control of the 2016 season — the first step in...

On 19 March, Formula One has seen dominant teams lay down early-season markers — but not always through the drivers you might expect. In 2006, Renault arrived in Malaysia as the team to beat, but it was Giancarlo Fisichella — not reigning world champion Fernando Alonso — who delivered a commanding victory at Sepang. With Alonso recovering from a compromised qualifying to complete a one–two, and Mi...

On 18 March 2007, Formula One witnessed one of the most remarkable debuts in its history. At the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, a young Lewis Hamilton announced himself to the world with a stunning podium finish on his very first start — going wheel-to-wheel with double world champion Fernando Alonso and showing immediately that he belonged at the very front of the sport. At the same time, Ki...

Martin looks back at three memorable season openers from Formula One history. The main story comes from the 2002 Malaysian Grand Prix , where a dramatic first-corner collision between Michael Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya reshaped the race and opened the door for a commanding Williams victory. We also revisit Kimi Räikkönen’s strategic masterclass at the 2013 Australian Grand Prix and Valtteri...

On 16 March 2014, Formula One entered a completely new technological age. At the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, the sport introduced turbocharged hybrid power units that would transform both the sound and competitive balance of the grid. Nico Rosberg led a dominant Mercedes performance to win the opening race of the new era, while Daniel Ricciardo’s home-race podium celebrations were later ov...

On 15 March , Formula One history shows that even the start of a season cannot always be taken for granted. In 1981 , political conflict between FISA and the FOCA teams had already disrupted the championship calendar. With the Argentine Grand Prix postponed and a controversial non-championship race held in South Africa, the World Championship effectively began on the streets of Long Beach , where...

On 14 March 1993, Formula One returned to Kyalami for a season opener that would quietly become a historic milestone. Alain Prost began his comeback season with victory in the technologically remarkable Williams FW15C, while Ayrton Senna fought hard in an underpowered McLaren and a young Michael Schumacher showed flashes of the future. In the years that followed, the race would take on additional...

On 13 March 1983 the Formula One season began in dramatic fashion at Jacarepaguá in Rio de Janeiro. Nelson Piquet thrilled the home crowd by winning for Brabham in their radical new BMW-powered BT52, but the race is remembered just as much for the chaos behind him. A fiery pit stop for Keke Rosberg triggered one of the most unusual outcomes in Grand Prix history: the reigning World Champion finish...

On this day in Formula One history, three races capture the sport at very different moments in its evolution. At Brands Hatch Circuit in 1967, the Race of Champions brought together many of the era’s leading drivers for one of the most prestigious non-championship contests on the calendar. Dan Gurney guided his Eagle to victory after a race shaped by clever tactics, mechanical trouble and fierce c...

On 11 March 1990, Formula One returned to the streets of Phoenix for the opening race of a new season. What should have been a routine victory for one of the sport’s established stars instead became the race that introduced a remarkable new talent. In only his ninth Grand Prix start, Jean Alesi stunned the paddock by taking the lead at the start and going wheel-to-wheel with Ayrton Senna. Their fi...

On this day in motorsport history, a remarkable debut nearly rewrote the record books. In 1996 , Formula One arrived at Albert Park in Melbourne for the first time as the Australian Grand Prix moved from Adelaide. It was also the debut race for Jacques Villeneuve , the reigning CART and Indianapolis 500 champion — and the Canadian immediately made history by taking pole position in his first Formu...

On 9 March, the Australian Grand Prix has twice opened the Formula One season in Melbourne — and on both occasions it was David Coulthard who stood on the top step of the podium. In this episode of Chequered Past , we revisit the 1997 Australian Grand Prix , a race that marked a moment of transition for Formula One. New teams arrived on the grid with the debut of Stewart Grand Prix and Prost Grand...

The 1998 Formula One season began in Melbourne with new technical regulations, a dominant McLaren, and a finish that would spark one of the sport’s first controversies of the year. In this episode of Chequered Past , we revisit the 1998 Australian Grand Prix , where Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard controlled the race for McLaren before a pit-lane misunderstanding changed the order. What followed...

On 7 March, Formula One season-openers have told very different stories about how a championship can begin. In 1970, the South African Grand Prix at Kyalami launched a new decade for the sport. The grid was packed with new machinery — including the March 701 and Ferrari’s flat-12 — signalling a wave of technical change. Yet when the race was decided after 80 demanding laps, it was experience that...

On 6 March in Formula One history, the championship twice visited Kyalami Circuit — and on both occasions Ferrari emerged victorious. In 1971 , Mario Andretti secured the first World Championship victory of his career after a dramatic late twist denied Denny Hulme what had seemed a certain win. Andretti’s triumph for Ferrari produced a truly international podium and marked an important early momen...

On 5 March 1977, Formula One arrived at Kyalami for a South African Grand Prix that would become one of the most tragic races in the sport’s history. As Niki Lauda drove to victory, the race was overshadowed by the devastating accident that claimed the lives of Welsh driver Tom Pryce and marshal Frederik Jansen van Vuuren — a moment that left a lasting mark on Formula One. In this episode of Chequ...

On 4 March, Formula One history has often turned on the smallest of margins. In 1978, the South African Grand Prix at Kyalami unravelled in dramatic fashion. Engines failed, tyres overheated, and a race that seemed settled changed hands again and again — before being decided on the final lap, when Ronnie Peterson made his move and led for only the half-lap that truly mattered. Six years earlier, t...

On March 3rd, Formula One delivered Grands Prix that refused to follow the script. In 1979 at Kyalami, a rain-hit race was stopped after just two laps and restarted nearly an hour later — setting up a fascinating tyre gamble between Ferrari teammates Gilles Villeneuve and Jody Scheckter. As the circuit dried and strategies diverged, the race effectively became two separate contests, ending with Fe...